LIBRARY OPENS GIFTS FIT FOR A PRESIDENT.Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer Americans give gifts to presidents to communicate everything from praise to protest. ``For the most part, people give gifts because they admire a president, though some gifts were definitely given to register protest or as criticisms of policies,'' said Lisa Auel, curator of ``Tokens and Treasures,'' an exhibit of presidential gifts now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs . The more than 200 gifts on display range from exquisite works of art given by foreign heads of state to handmade crafts sent by usually admiring constituents. In the 1940s, Luella Smith of Inglewood sent President Franklin D. Roosevelt a vest embroidered em·broi·der v. em·broi·dered, em·broi·der·ing, em·broi·ders v.tr. 1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover. 2. with hundreds of buttons. She addressed her letter to Roosevelt ``my dear'' and went on to write, ``I am always praying for your success, way out here on the Pacific Coast.'' ``The gifts from citizens reflect the nature of the relationship between the president and the American people An American people may be:
In 1953, a pair of Texas brothers, Zeferino and Eli Rios, sent President Eisenhower a pair of hand-tooled cowboy boots emblazoned with the president's nickname, Ike, and an image of the White House. And in 1993, Michele Weston Relkin, a Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. artist, sent President Clinton a whimsical portrait of the first cat, Socks, sitting behind the Oval Office desk with pen in paw. Though most portrait gifts are admiring, several caricatures are included in the exhibit. ``I wanted to show the diversity of gifts given . . . and show a mix of depictions, because each president can be viewed by different people in different ways,'' Auel said. Thus, Nixon's gifts include both a stately portrait and a caricature puppet sent to the White House in 1972, in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of Watergate, by Larry N. Frost of Denver. The puppet shows Nixon wearing a checkered suit and his hands are raised, giving his characteristic victory sign. The exhibit also includes priceless gifts given to presidents and their wives by foreign heads of state. These gifts often reflect a president's foreign policy agenda. Mikhail Gorbachev gave former President Ronald Reagan a porcelain ``peace dove'' during the early days of Glasnost glasnost (gläs`nōst), Soviet cultural and social policy of the late 1980s. Following his ascension to the leadership of the USSR in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev began to promote a policy of openness in public discussions about current and . And the Shah of Iran gave Richard Nixon a tray made of 22-karat gold, while the Chinese Prime Minister Chou En-Lai Chou En-lai: see Zhou Enlai. gave Nixon a jade flask in 1972. ``The exhibit gives us a sense of what both heads of state and ordinary citizens thought of the individual presidents,'' said Mark Hunt, the library's director. ``Whether they are dignified or caricatures, all the gift givers put a lot of thought into each gift.'' ``Tokens and Treasures: Gifts to Twelve Presidents, Hoover through Clinton'' will be on display at the Reagan Library through Nov. 2. For information, call the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library at (805) 522-8444. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--ran in SIMI SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative and CONEJO editions only--color) Library visitors view a carved lamp presented to the Ford family and a punch bowl given to the Kennedys. (2--ran in SIMI and CONEJO only) Christy Needham, 16, of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. works on a needlepoint needlepoint: see lace. needlepoint Type of embroidery in which the stitches are counted and worked with a needle over the threads, or mesh, of a canvas foundation. It was known as canvas work until the early 19th century. that will be given to one of the five living presidents and showcased in the library. (3--ran in SIMI and CONEJO only) A portrait of Ronald Reagan made of lapis lazuli is one of the gifts on display at the Reagan Library. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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